Live Wild or Die. Presented by wild gym.

Travel Episode featuring How to Stay Motivated and Inspired

Hey monkiis, I've been traveling for about 10-days now and wanted to share some thoughts from my time on the road. The first 4 days were pretty draining and took me a few days to bounce back from. Since then, I've been thinking a ton about how important it is to have inspiration in your life. We are truly products of our environment and I 100% believe that the more wild people you have around you, the wilder you will become.

monkii on!
-monkii Dan

www.monkii.co

StrongFirst, Training like a Leopard, and Microworkouts

Hey monkiis, monkii Dan here. Welcome to episode #17 on the Live Wild Or Die Podcast. This episode was inspired by some internet (*cough* Facebook) browsing as well as listening to my friend Mason's 'Adventure Sports Podcast'. On FB, I saw a link to a new book from Pavel Tsatsouline founder of Strong First. He shares a great analogy to the modern training conundrum of training smart vs. training to exhaustion. On the ASP, I listened to an episode with adventurer Alastair Humphreys whose resume includes riding his bike around the world for 4 years. He is a Wildman. He shared a concept of microadventures which immediately made me think of microworkouts. I'm always trying to learn and get wilder, I hope you are too. monkii on!

Questions/comments?
info@monkii.co

Keep getting wilder and monkii on!
-monkii Dan

Environmental Conditioning, Marcus Aurelius, and Baby Workouts

Hey monkiis, Welcome to episode #16 of the Live Wild or Die Podcast. Topics discussed: environmental conditioning, Marcus Aurelius, and how to workout with your baby. Please enjoy.

Please subscribe and please leave a review. It helps spread the good word of the wild.

Questions/comments?
info@monkii.co

Keep getting wilder and monkii on!
-monkii Dan

Catch up Episode featuring Stoicism and Barefoot Running

Hey monkiis, It's been a minute since our last episode. My monkii-bad! I'm glad to be back, even for just a quick catch up episode. monkii Jared sent a note way back reflecting on Episode #10 and wanted to share some of his thoughts on Stoicism. I love hearing from monkiis and was psyched to share his thoughts with the community. I received another recent question about minimalist/barefoot shoes and ultarunning so was also happy to share my thoughts on this arena having just run far.

As always, please shoot any feedback/questions to: info@monkii.co.

All things monkii can be found at: www.monkii.co

Stay in the #monkiistateofmind. 

The Misogi Redo - Sometimes you have to fail to succeed (Part 3).

Hello monkiis, I've been waiting exacting 38 days to publish this episode. I am proud to say that after my initial failure (due to injury) I completed the 'Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim' trail run on May 13, 2019. It took me 17-hours and 45-minutes in total time. We started from the South Rim, Bright Angel Trailhead at 3am and finished at 8:45pm, returning to where we had started. (By 'we' my buddy Chad who had done the run a few weeks prior was kind enough to support me on the first and last 10-miles of my journey.) The total distance is 50-miles and you ascend and descend over 10,000 feet. It was a proper Misogi. It almost feels like cheating when you start in the dark. Time and distance pass at a very different rate when your perception is limited to the tight funnel of a headlamp. We crossed the Colorado river just as the sun was stating to rise and arrived at Phantom Ranch shortly after. This is where my solo journey started. It was 13-miles to the North from this point which meant that I would have to cover a marathon distance to get back to this point. I felt great until I hit the steep climb from the Manzanita water station to the North Rim. I was getting roasted in the sun and quickly ran out of water. After what felt like a never ending climb, there was finally no more trail leading up and I was suddenly at the North Kaibab Trailhead. There were a few cars and to my surprise, the water at the North Rim was on. This was a huge psychological boost as I had finished all my water during the climb up and it would have been quite challenging to consume the calories needed without water. I was also hot and took advantage of the water source to basically drench myself. I quickly cooled off and was now almost too cold. My biggest concern at this point was the heat. It was not even Noon yet and I would be descending to lower elevation where it would be 20-30 degrees hotter. I was considering just hanging out on the North Rim until the afternoon to wait out the heat, but I finally concluded that there was more than enough water along the way to keep me both hydrated and cool. As soon as I started down I felt significantly better. I made good time until the last 7-8 miles back to Phantom Ranch. My running pace was not actually that slow, rather, it was the constant stopping to drink and soak myself in the creek I was running next to. I arrived back at Phantom Ranch and found Chad waiting at our pre-determined meeting spot. It had taken me about 2-hours longer than I had estimated and I could tell that Chad was ready to get out from the canyon. The final segment required us to cover 10-miles and climb 5,000 vertical feet. The first 5-miles felt relatively good and it was uplifting to have a friend with me. However, once we left Indian Garden to climb the last 4.5 miles out, I felt completely worked. I was in pain pretty much everywhere. It was in a lot of places I had not experienced before. My method was to keep the momentum and just focus on the next step. Every once-and-a-while I would make the mistake of looking up and would see the massive wall still ahead of us. It looked impossible. We were on the most popular trail in the canyon, but there was a part of me that still did not believe that it actually went back to the rim. At last, we reached the tunnels which signal that you are very close to the end. Then, almost as if you are stepping into a new reality, there is no more up and you are standing back on concrete surrounded by signs, buildings, and flickering lights. We took a quick photo in the dark and hopped in the car to the nearest open establishment that sold hot food. 

I'm still processing this Misogi and will continue to share reflections, lessons learned, and more. It was all about maintaining the monkii-state-of-mind and I'm looking forward to continuing to distill exactly what this means.

Click here to learn more about the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim.

Questions/comments/howls?
info@monkii.co

www.monkii.co

Aftermath - The Misogi and pushing the boundaries of what is possible (Part 2).

Hello monkiis,

This is part 2 of what maybe become a 3, or even 4 part series discussing the Misogi. I recorded this episode laying in a lodge at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon while elevating my recently sprained ankle. I was no more than 1/2 mile into a 48-mile run when I stepped on a rock and twisted my right ankle. We had started running just before 3am and I think that the combination of lack of sleep and my being ill-adjusted to running with a headlamp lead to my demise. I was so bummed. I pretty much knew I was done immediately, but still tried to walk it off. I ended up turning around heading back to the start after hobbling for 3-4 miles down into the canyon. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I'd been planning and training for this trip for over 8-months and after only 15-minutes I was sidelined. To add insult to injury, I had about a dozen friends also joining in on the Misogi and I was very sad that I would not get to share the experience with them. However, I am super proud to report that all of my friends completed the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim! Surround yourself with wild people and incredible things get done. It was super motivating seeing everyone return to the top and I can't wait to get back. Fortunately, my injury is not devastating, it just wasn't going to allow me to run that day. I'm planning on heading back to the Grand Canyon to re-attempt the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in early May of 2019. Stay tuned for that trip report. I really have tried to maintain a positive attitude about what happened. I have attempted and failed at Misogis in the past and to be honest, it made going back and getting it done that much more satisfying. If you are not failing, you are not pushing yourself far enough. Please enjoy!

The monkii family still wants to know, what is your Misogi?

Click here to learn more about the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim.

Questions/comments/howls?
info@monkii.co

www.monkii.co

The Misogi and pushing the boundaries of what is possible (Part 1).

Hello monkiis,

I am psyched that by publishing this episode, I have achieved my goal of creating 12 podcast episodes in 2019. Sweet! I purposely set the bar a little low knowing that I could achieve this goal with relative ease and that would motivate me to create even more content. It's pretty interesting how even though I know I am basically 'tricking' myself, it still works. I recorded this episode out in a Ponderosa Pine forest, in the dark, just outside the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I was at a campground preparing to run the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim. Basically, you start at the South Rim, run 24-miles over to the North Rim, turn around, and then run 24-miles back. This totals out to 48-miles and over 10,000 vertical feet of climbing. It would be the perfect 'Misogi'. I first heard about this wild concept in Outside Magazine. In the article, Kyle Korver, an NBA basketball player and a group of friends are on a boat off the California coast. Their Misogi was to carry a 70+ pound rock under water for 2-miles. The took turns relaying the rock as far as they could go and eventually, they completed what felt like an impossible task. I didn't need to read much farther to be enticed. The article came out in 2014 and I was already attempting Misogi-esc challenges, but I didn't yet have a name for those endeavors. As soon as I heard of the concept of the Misogi I have fully adopted the principles as my own. The whole concept is to expand your imagination for what is possible. If you complete what once was thought to be an impossible challenge, what are your true boundaries? What I also love about the concept is that it is relative. The challenge is purely subjective and thus anyone can take on a Misogi of their own. It's also less above the physical challenge and even more so, the Misogi emphasizes building mental strength and fortitude. It's not something you do every week. So far, I've been attempting a Misogi about once per year. Enjoy!

The monkii family wants to know, what is your Misogi?

Click here for the Misogi Outside Magazine Article.

www.monkii.co

Questions/comments/howls?
info@monkii.co

A new dedication to saying no.

Hello monkiis and welcome to Episode #11 of the Live Wild or Die Podcast. I am your host, monkii Dan. On this episode I share some of the recent insights we have had as a company being run by monkiis. This past week we had two amazing conversations amongst the monkii Elders and the conclusion that we were able to draw was that as a company we need to be dedicated to saying no. In other words, when making decisions, we must must ask ourselves, is this essential? If not, then we say no. Derek Sivers who has been a long-time inspiration to me said it best, "Hell yeah, or no". If you are not saying hell yes to whatever it is, then it's a no. The purpose of this mindset is to free you from the burden of the thousands of unessential distractions that bombard us throughout the day and focus on the activities that provide value to both your business and your customer. We are constantly being told all the things we should do and often we just do them without asking if we should do them. This concept can easily be extrapolated into your personal life as well. I know I personally say yes to a lot of things that are not 'Hell yeahs' and that doing so causes stress and pain in my life. I'm not trying to encourage you to shut yourself off from the world. Instead, make healthy and assertive decisions that are beneficial to everyone.

Check out Derek Sivers' website: https://sivers.org.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please leave a review (5 stars only, please) so other monkiis can join in on the conversation.

Please send comments and questions to: info@monkii.co

Thanks for listening and monkii on!
-monkii Dan

www.monkii.co

The monkii state-of-mind and "It's not that bad".

Hello monkiis and welcome to the 10th episode of the Live Wild or Die Podcast. One of my goals for 2019 was to record and publish 12 podcast episodes. There are still 2 more to go, but I'm feeling the top of the mountain is near and I plan to far exceed that initial goal. I have been at fault of setting goals that are too high, ambitious, or drastic that never even stood a chance. All too often I believe that we feel that a change or new venture must be immediate and drastic. However, this is exactly what leads to the ultimate demise of our original vision. Instead, if you set a goal or make a change that is small, you are way more likely to actually stick to it and you become an immediate success. You then repeat this process over an extended period of time and that is what will ultimately lead to a much greater outcome.

I was emailing a buddy of mine recently and I wrote this line as the first sentence: "I honestly think the whole 'kid-thing' is all about your state of mind. We definitely got lucky with an easy baby, but still, I think you can almost decide to make it stressful or not. Or maybe I'm just insane!". I have a 6.5 month-old daughter and she is an absolute blessing. However, I feel like my whole life leading up to becoming a parent the 'mass market' perception was that having a kid means no more fun, lots of stress, tension and the figurative end of your life as you know it. I have found it to be the opposite. There have certainly been peaks and valleys as well as challenging times. But overall, I can honestly say, "it's not that bad". I really believe that our attitude and preconceived notions going into anything will significantly effect our reality and experience. If you have a negative attitude, you are going to make your reality negative. While having a positive attitude, even during times that are not so positive, will allow you to push through the storm and keep putting one foot in front of the other. So when challenging times are confronted just remember, "it's not that bad.".

The monkii Society would be eternal grateful and we will do an exceptionally wild workout in your honor if you take the time to leave us a review.

Have a question or think you'd make a good guest? Please send us a note at: info@monkii.co,

In the monkii state-of-mind,

-monkii Dan

www.monkii.co

Exploring the principles of the monkii mindset.

Hello monkiis and welcome to episode #9 of the Live Wild or Die Podcast. On this episode, I take a deep-dive into the principles of the monkii Mindset. This is a verbal brainstorm and I would love to hear from the listeners about which principles resonated the most and which principles we may consider removing. I'm trying to distill the core essence of the monkii Mindset down so that as a community we can always refer back to these principles and even change them (if needed) over time. I know it when I see, but I can't always communicate what it is in a clear and concise manner. We will get there eventually.

If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a review!

www.monkii.co